Children from the Parramore community helped Central Florida leaders sink shovels into the dirt today at a groundbreaking ceremony ushering in a transformative campus that will soon rise in downtown Orlando.<\/p>\n
Dr. Phillips Academic Commons is the first building to be built at the new campus the 麻豆原创 will share with Valencia College. The campus is expected to serve 7,700 students from both institutions when it opens in 2019.<\/p>\n
The groundbreaking was a chance for the community to celebrate the campus\u2019 beginnings \u2013 and the changes it will bring not only to downtown Orlando but to future students\u2019 success.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis innovative campus will offer a bold new avenue for uplifting lives and livelihoods of students from the Parramore community, from Central Florida and from throughout our Sunshine State,\u201d 麻豆原创 President John C. Hitt said. \u201cIt will provide area employers with talent that will invigorate and reshape the workplaces of tomorrow. And it will energize the rising downtown of the No. 1 tourist-destination city in America. With today\u2019s groundbreaking, we begin a future of greater prosperity in Central Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n
Valencia College President Sandy Shugart said Valencia and 麻豆原创 will work with the community to build a campus that positively impacts the future of its residents and neighbors.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re building something unique here,\u201d Shugart said. \u201cBut the real measure of a college or university isn\u2019t defined by its buildings, but how well it serves those within them. We\u2019re determined to make a difference in the life of this community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Phillips Academic Commons will be the center of campus, a dynamic building with classrooms, collaborative space and an open-air courtyard. The four-story building is designed to provide a full college experience from the first day it opens in Creative Village, a new high-tech neighborhood sprouting from the former site of the city\u2019s old Orlando Magic arena.<\/p>\n
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer called the campus a \u201cgame-changer.\u201d Thousands of college students will bring a vibrant, 24\/7 energy to downtown, and the campus will kick-start further development in the Creative Village $1 billion private-public partnership.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe new 麻豆原创 Downtown campus serves as a catalyst for the 68-acre Creative Village, which will further our revitalization efforts in downtown and Parramore. 麻豆原创 Downtown will be as impactful to Orlando as the construction of our community venues, Medical City and SunRail,\u201d Dyer said. \u201cThe City has partnered with 麻豆原创 and Valencia to bring the vision for the downtown campus to reality because it brings new educational opportunities for residents of Parramore, all while creating 2,000 new jobs and a more than $200 million impact on our economy each year.\u201d<\/p>\n
The presence of 麻豆原创, Valencia College and a new Preschool-8 school built by Orange County Public Schools will make it possible for children to progress from kindergarten to graduate school in the same community. And the downtown campus will be a source of job training, workshops and more for neighborhood residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 麻豆原创 and Valencia downtown campus is one of District 5\u2019s most transformational projects,\u201d said City Commissioner Regina Hill. \u201cOne that will transform lives and our community for decades to come. I could not be more excited.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brenda March, who manages Orlando\u2019s Parramore Kidz Zone \u2013 or PKZ, as it\u2019s often called \u2013 said, \u201cParramore is downtown Orlando\u2019s historic mecca centered around culture, entertainment, and education, a livable community for the world to model. In my career working with Parramore children and families, I have been blessed to experience the transformation by igniting flames of hope for a brighter tomorrow.\u00a0麻豆原创 and Valencia\u2019s downtown campus will be the educational heartbeat of Parramore and will keep the transformation alive by creating a career path to success.\u201d<\/p>\n
Porcha Jones, a junior at nearby Jones High School who lives in Parramore, plans to attend the downtown campus after she graduates from high school.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a proud Parramore resident and PKZ student, I\u2019m excited about the campus opening and being able to attend school in my neighborhood,\u201d Jones said. \u201cI want to be a role model for my younger sisters and family, and going to college is important to achieving my goals.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 17-year-old was presented with a $1,000 scholarship from 麻豆原创 and Valencia at the groundbreaking event, which will help her achieve her goal of pursuing a career in sports medicine or becoming a doctor.<\/p>\n
Hotelier and philanthropist Harris Rosen\u2019s foundation also will cover the cost of undergraduate degrees for Parramore students if they choose to attend Valencia and 麻豆原创, or any other university, state college or vocational school in the state. And successful high school students from Parramore who wish to become doctors and gain admission to the 麻豆原创 College of Medicine will be able to attend on full scholarships.<\/p>\n
Building the Campus<\/strong><\/p>\n The construction of Dr. Phillips Academic Commons would not be possible without the help of its namesake, Dr. Phillips Charities. The nonprofit organization donated the lead gift \u2013 $7 million for the project to expand access to the transformational power of a college degree.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving students downtown will provide the surrounding community with a wonderful example of hope through education,\u201d Dr. Phillips Charities president and CEO Kenneth Robinson said.\u00a0\u201cFor us, it was important to show 麻豆原创, the City of Orlando and the State of Florida our commitment and the importance of this project.\u201d<\/p>\n The four-story building will feature 148,000 square feet of active learning space split between east and west wings along a realigned Livingston Street. The two wings will be connected by a glass bridge on the third and fourth floors. The bridge will hold a pedestrian walkway as well as space for student activities and offices. Viewed from the exterior, the bridge will create a dramatic portal for those entering the campus from the Creative Village.<\/p>\n Also on or adjacent to the 15-acre campus:<\/p>\n Construction will begin this summer on all projects, and the buildings are scheduled for completion by the start of the Fall 2019 semester.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Children from the Parramore community helped Central Florida leaders sink shovels into the dirt today at a groundbreaking ceremony ushering in a transformative campus that will soon rise in downtown Orlando. Dr. Phillips Academic Commons is the first building to be built at the new campus the 麻豆原创 will share with Valencia…","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n\n